Home Phone comparison Google Pixel 8a and Samsung Galaxy A12 - Which is better?

Google Pixel 8a vs Samsung Galaxy A12

73 out 100
Google Pixel 8a
VS
41 out 100
Samsung Galaxy A12
Google Pixel 8a
Samsung Galaxy A12

Compared 2 smartphones : Google Pixel 8a Manufactured in May, 2024, with display 6.1 with chipsetGoogle Tensor G3, vs Samsung Galaxy A12, Manufactured in December, 2020 with chipsetMediaTek Helio P35. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Google Pixel 8a
  • Higher pixel density: 430ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Lighter design: 188g vs 205g
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy A12
  • Larger display: 6.5in
  • Higher battery capacity: 5000mAh vs 4492mAh
  • Supports Dolby Atmos

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB		 - 2/32 GB
- 3/32 GB
- 3/128 GB
- 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 6/128 GB

Review

Key Specs Google Pixel 8a and Samsung Galaxy A12
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Smartphones:
Google Pixel 8a
vs
Samsung Galaxy A12

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED PLS TFT
Size 6.1 in 6.5 in
Resolution 1080x2400 pixels 720x1600 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 20:9
Pixel density 430 ppi 270 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 2000 nits 450 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10 No
Screen-to-body ratio 81.3 % 82.1 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display		 n/a
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Google Pixel 8a
1498 nits
Samsung Galaxy A12
470 nits
sRGB gamut99.1 %96.3 %
PWM (Flicker)120 Hz337 Hz
Response time2 ms52 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite864:1
Sources: NotebookCheck [Google Pixel 8a], [Samsung Galaxy A12]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 152.1 mm (5.99 in) 164 mm (6.46 in)
Width 72.7 mm (2.86 in) 75.8 mm (2.98 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 8.9 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 188 g (6.63 oz) 205 g (7.23 oz)
Water resistance IP67 No
Back panel Plastic Plastic
Frame Metal Plastic
Colors - White
- Black
- Blue
- Green		 - White
- Black
- Blue
- Red
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Google Pixel 8a
81.3 %
Samsung Galaxy A12
82.1 %

Performance

Testing Google Pixel 8a and Samsung Galaxy A12 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Google Tensor G3 MediaTek Helio P35
Max Frequency 3000 MHz 2300 MHz
CPU Cores 9 (1 + 4 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.7 (Cortex-A510)
- 4/2.37 (Cortex-A715)
- 1/2.91 (Cortex-X3)		 - 4/1.8 (Cortex-A53)
- 4/2.3 (Cortex-A53)
Process Samsung TSMC
Transistor Size 4 nm 12 nm
Neural Processor Yes No
Graphics Mali-G715 MP7 PowerVR GE8320
GPU Cores 896 32
GPU Frequency 890 MHz 680 MHz
FLOPS 1594.8 GFLOPS 43.5 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Google Pixel 8a
1683
Samsung Galaxy A12
480
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Google Pixel 8a
4330
Samsung Galaxy A12
1522
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1683480
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)43301522
Geekbench Compute (GPU)6350n/a
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Google Pixel 8a]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Google Pixel 8a
1179223
Samsung Galaxy A12
147439
CPU36326052120
GPU39642818126
Memory18955839276
UX22997737917
NanoReview Score1179223147439

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB - 3 GB
- 4 GB
- 6 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR4
Memory Frequency 3200 MHz 1866 MHz
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB		- 32 GB
- 64 GB
- 128 GB
Storage TypeUFS 3.1eMMC 5.1
Memory CardNoMicroSD

Software

OS Android 14 (Upgradeable to Android 15) Android 10.0 (Upgradeable to Android 13)
OS Size 18.4 GB 13 GB
UI Skin Stock Android One UI Core 5.1

Battery

Volume 4492 mAh 5000 mAh
Max Charging Power 18 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (33% in 30 min) Yes (20% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 2:09 h 3:03 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Google Pixel 8a
19:43
Samsung Galaxy A12
26:02
Web Browsing08:15 h11:00 h
Video Playback13:00 h13:25 h
Games04:54 h06:03 h
Standby Mode86 h133 h

Main camera

Matrix 64 MP 48 MP
Photo resolution 9000x7000 pixels 8000x6000 pixels
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Dual LED LED
Stabilization Optical Digital
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) No
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) No
Wide-angle lens 120 ° 123 °
Lenses count Standard: 64 MP
Ultra-wide: 13 MP		 Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 5 MP
Macro: 2 MP
Depth: 2 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix64 MP48 MP
Aperturef/1.9f/2.0
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSony IMX787Samsung S5KGM2
Sensor size1/1.731/2
Pixel size0.8 μm0.8 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus
StabilizationOpticalDigital
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix13 MP5 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
SensorSony IMX712n/a
Sensor size1/3.06n/a
Pixel size1.12 μmn/a
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Google Pixel 8a
141
Samsung Galaxy A12
96
Video quality
Google Pixel 8a
128
Samsung Galaxy A12
80
Overall camera score
Google Pixel 8a
136
Samsung Galaxy A12
90
Bokeh60n/a
Preview71n/a
Zoom126n/a
Sources: DxOMark [Google Pixel 8a], [Samsung Galaxy A12]

Front camera

Matrix 13 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 3264x2448 pixels
Aperture n/a f/2.0
Sensor n/a CMOS
Autofocus n/a No
Stabilization n/a Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 a/b/g/n)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth version 5.3 5
Bluetooth features LE PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.2 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes n/a
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- QZSS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*12
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesNo
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19UMTS B1 (2100), B5(850), B8 (900)
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B38/B41/B48/B66/B71)LTE (B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28/B38/B40/B41)
LTE category207
5G SupportYesNo

Sound

Speakers Stereo Mono
3.5 mm Jack No Yes
FM Radio No Yes
Dolby Atmos No Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Google Pixel 8a
89.3 dB
Samsung Galaxy A12
80.9 dB

Other

Class Mid-range Budget
Announced May, 2024 yr November, 2020 yr
Release Date May, 2024 yr December, 2020 yr
Launch Price ($) 499 180
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Proximity Sensor
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No n/a
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Google Pixel 8a the clear winner in this comparison.

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